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Thursday, February 20, 2014

After Valentine's day the only thing I can think about is SPRING, recipes, flavors, colors .... The good thing is that here in Puebla the winter seems to be over, and that makes me a really happy girl, because from now on I'll be sharing many recipes with fresh ingredients and lots of color, like these lemon ricotta pancakes. They're soft, extra fluffy(almost like clouds), with a slight lemony flavor and tinny pieces of ricotta cheese, just talking about them makes me really hungry, lol, they're simply delicious. OK, enough with the rambling, the only thing I know is that you really have to try these so we can love them together, besides they're very fresh and easy to make, just pure perfection.

P. s. And yes, I love the combination of lemon and ricotta, here´s my previous recipe with these two yummy ingredients.

2. Pour all the dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl, minus sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk with a fork until well combined. Set aside.

3. In a larger bowl pour all the wet ingredients plus sugar, this will help to incorporate sugar faster, melted butter , eggs, milk, ricotta, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Whisk with a fork until smooth and well combined.

4. Pour dry mix over wet mixture, and stir just until the batter is smooth and almost no lumps remain.

5. Grease your skillet very lightly with butter and pour about 1/4 cup of pancake batter. Cook for about 2 min, or until tiny bubbles start showing up around the edges of your pancakes, flip the pancakes and cook 2 minutes more, or until the bottom looks light golden brown. Keep warm until all the pancakes are cooked.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

I can't believe how fast time goes by, almost a month ago I was making my first V-day post, and now we are just a few days away from Valentine's day. I had planned to share three recipes with you, but I only made two, shame on me, I know, but it's the thought that counts, right??

Each time we're close to a festivity(or new season) I start thinking about the classics, although I love experimenting with new recipes, I feel I must have that staple dish or dessert that represent certain events. So, obviously, the right thing to make to celebrate Valentine's day were no other than, red velvet cupcakes. I've made this recipe a ton of times, these cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and lightly sweetened, pure red velvet perfection. I'd say these are in my top 3 favorite cupcakes, there's something with the beautiful red hue in the cake, that I just can not resist!! I really love them, and I think these are a perfect last minute treat for Valentine's Day (or any day), that will bring lots of joy to all your loved ones!!!
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2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Lower speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, scraping the bowl twice or more. Add red food coloring and vanilla, mix until well combined.

4. Reduce mixer speed to low and add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, beat well, repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk, you should end with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Put your bowl near the cupcake pans.

5. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda, it will fizz right away. Add it to the cake batter, and stir with a spatula until well combined. Divide batter evenly between the cake pans, about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting, about an hour.

For the cream cheese frosting:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and cream cheese on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes (Do not rush this step).

Thursday, February 6, 2014

The weather in Puebla has been more than perfect, the days have been sunny and warm, and that's why last weekend I decided to make flan napolitano. I hadn't make it in a long time, and I almost forgot how good it is, OMG!! I loved it, definitely something that had to be shared.

This flan is a delicate dessert that melts in your mouth. It has a very smooth consistency with a subtle cream cheese flavor, that matches perfectly with the slightly burnt caramel syrup. You can enjoy it alone or add some fresh berries of your choice. I think it's perfect for small meetings, for a coffee date, or as a light dessert for a meal. I'm sure you will love it, just be careful because you might want to devour everything in one sitting.

I´d like to try new flavors of flan, so if you have any recipe, please share it in the comments below. I´ll be more than thankful! :)

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9-inch cake pan, turning the cake pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.

To make the Flan:

1. It's the easiest thing in the world, put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. Then put the flan mixture into the cake pan over the syrup. Cover with aluminium foil.

2. Place the cake pan in a larger roasting pan and add hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 60 min, or until center is just set, but still jiggles slightly, mine took 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove dish from the larger pan to a wire rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight (preferably).

3. Once completely cool, run a small sharp knife around flan to loosen. Turn over onto a plate, shaking gently to release flan. Now hold yourself and try not to eat it all at once!! :)

Friday, January 31, 2014

Citrus season is in full swing, and I must say I'm very happy about it, because I finally decided to buy a bag of Meyer lemons. I've been using them in salad dressing, strawberry lemonade ( I know it's winter, but here in Puebla there are days that don't feel like that at all), and a couple sweet yummy things, you know how I like them.

One of those sweet things were these delicious lemon-ricotta cookies, that have a cloud consistency and a delicious lemon flavor. Its texture is very soft almost like cake, they have a slight ricotta flavor, and the Meyer lemon certainly gives them a rich hint of tartness. My two big advice would be, refrigerate the dough and use an ice cream scoop to make the balls, if you have one (obviously I don't have one), this is just to make more symmetrical and better looking cookies. Another thing I must say, is that due to these cookies are really moist the glaze tends to get like a syrup with each passing day, but don´t worry this doesn't affect the flavor at all, I just thought you should know it.

These cookies really made me think about springtime, in fact it seems that that's the only thing I can think about lately (besides Valentine's day), you know, fresh flowers, pastel shades, fresh food with light flavors. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we did!

What about you, Do you have any special spring craving, recipes, DIYs , or any fun activity??

Directions
1. In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, and salt, mix with a fork. Set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese and lemon juice, beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients. Mix the dough until slightly moist and well incorporated.

3. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap, and chill on the fridge for at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile prepare your glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth.

7. Once your cookies have cooled a bit, spoon about 1/2-teaspoon of the glaze onto each cookie and gently spread it. Let the glaze harden before serving, about 20 min. Store in an airtight container.Now, let's eat!!

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Thanks for stopping by my blog! A few issues I'd like to address: I believe in giving credit when due. If you see any photos here without correct sources, please let me know and I will happily correct it. Likewise, if you wish to use any of my photos I'd appreciate it if you properly credited back to Raspberry Bloom.